Having decided on a natural looking metal roof for my cottage and the need for installation of two inch tongue and grove Styrofoam insulation under it I shopped around and rejected two companies before discussing the specifics in detail and choosing Bob (and Steve) with Gerard metal roofing in Peterborough. Specific requests were made for materials and a detailed contract and estimate along with proof of wsib coverage. This was promised several times but only a quick email giving the total price was received before they came to start the job.
Mike at Decra was very helpful in providing information to make our choice of style and color a little easier. His little computer program to transpose color to the existing building definitely helped.
After several delays the work crew arrived and started. I was surprised that they had not purchased the previously identified and previously agreed on Home Depot "Grace" underlay but a different brand? Apparently Grace required a few days delivery time and they had not planned for this.
Not wanting the inside noise I went out but later found they had left at noon the same day? The next morning they returned and I left them to make progress. On my return shortly before lunch I was totally surprised to see they were installing square sided sheets of foam insulation, not the "tongue and grove" agreed on to provide a proper insulation seal. Also they were not gluing each section at the seam as an alternative (lack of which would leave a crack between each two foot sheet and making the "insulation" factor for the total gable style roof almost useless)? At this point I stopped the job and after investigation and agreement with their supervisor to ensure warranty conditions were met, went to town and purchased the approved "DAP" sealant which they then used to seal all joined sections.
I was also promised the requested wsib confirmation (to ensure that we or our corporation were not liable) which the foreman (at the time) could not find in his truck and which was never provided? I was also never given the detailed contract and pricing asked for (and told it would be there when the job was started). Not having this information led to a misunderstanding of the total price which in the end cost me $1500 more than expected.
After problems were solved with the insulation the installation of the roof went well and with many hands and what seemed rotating foreman it was completed in three days. The Decra shingle looks terrific and color match perfect.
Even though there had been no real contract or deposit before starting the job, right on time the next day I got a call to have payment ready at which time I discovered that my understanding of the approved quote in the email was not correct and I now owed $1500 more to cover the HST? This was paid.
The next day the sun came out and I noticed that the aluminum flashing running along the side entrance of the cottage was all "rippled" and bumps which looked very unprofessional. I had chosen the Decra stone coated over the much cheaper Metstar as it came with the required trim and other finishing materials to complete the job perfectly as were the suggested roofs I had viewed in the area done by this company. I also noticed that most sections of the new flashing had not been screwed together and that there were many metal screws laying on the ground.
A quick call to Bob, my only contact with Gerard, identified the issue and soon after, totally unexpected first thing in the morning, two Gerard employees showed up. After screwing the sections of flashing together they addressed the rippled section. Their first statement was that it could not be improved, when I objected the younger one jumped on a ladder and cut a section of the existing flashing out. He then quickly cut a new piece and screwed it on leaving about a two foot gap at the end where the new piece of flashing did not fit under the new metal roof? They then left.
Numerous emails (and pictures) to Bob to have this repaired resulted in only one reply that their flashing guy's house burnt and he was not at work yet? There was no follow up inspection of the job to view this fault.
After two months and numerous emails (I have lost his phone number) the end of the flashing remains a ragged gap that is prone to leakage from ice back up and wasp infiltration is still not repaired. Calling their Peterborough office proves futile as Bob is never there?
The moral with Gerard roofing, if you have anything specific that you want done be there and ensure they use the proper materials before starting, Once they begin it is too late as they may use different (cheaper?) materials. Get the paper work up front clearly specifying the materials, quoted cost and taxes. Be there to ensure the job is done properly as per your requirements and that they clean up after completion.
I am happy with my new Decra roof but would not recommend Gerard as they did not come through with a number of of the specific details that were discussed during the estimate which I believe improved the quality of the job, they obviously did not document these details or consider them when planning the job, did not provide the wsib paperwork or contract requested and agreed on and used different materials than were specified in the oral agreements. They also have not returned to make the final flashing repairs as required.
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